Medtronic buys RF Surgical Systems for $235 milllion
website RF Surgical
Medtronic has agreed to acquire California-based medical-device maker RF Surgical Systems for $235 million. Dublin-based Medtronic is looking to broaden its offerings to include products designed to detect surgical items and prevent them from being accidentally left inside patients.
The deal is expected to be completed next month with additional terms of the acquisition not disclosed Monday.
RF Surgical develops products like surgical sponges, gauze and towels that emit low-frequency radio signals to track them if left inside the human body.
“Patients are our priority,” said Chris Barry, senior vice president of Medtronic's surgical innovations in the Minimally Invasive Therapies Group, in a statement. “Improving patient safety and outcomes is our daily focus, which directly aligns with the RF Surgical technology, a simple and cost-effective solution to avoidable complications in surgical procedures.”
There are as many as 4,000 cases of retained surgical items annually in the U.S., according to NoThing Left Behind, a voluntary initiative started in 2004 to improve surgical patient safety.
“We are pleased to be...
